Friday, July 17, 2009

Some Japanese Birds

Spring 2008. An egret at the edge of the wetlands. Fukushimagata, Niigata, Japan.

A Common Gull, Larus canus, flies up
the Shinano River, January 2008.

A Whooper Swan overhead at Fukushimagata, January 2008.

I need a better shot of this beauty.
A Narcissus Flycatcher, Toyanogata, 2008.

Good action! A Black-eared Kite attacks a Grey Heron. The heron was certainly shocked and had to make a run for it. The photo was taken on the wrong side of a busy road. Shitada, Niigata, 2006.

A Brown-eared Bulbul along the Shinano River, 2007.

I was surprised to find these Australians living wildly between the rice fields of Japan!
This is a rare record here.

Black Swans, Niigata, Japan, 2006.

Black-tailed Gull. Along the Shinano River, Niigata in 2007.

A newly fledged Long-earred Owl at Toyanogata, Niigata, May 2009.

A male Bull-headed Shrike at Toyanogata, Niigata, 2007.

A young Peregrine Falcon rockets by at Fukushimagata on my birthday in 2007. (November 3!)

A Black-eared Kite eating on the wing at Hyoko in 2007.

An Intermediate Egret flies along with its legs crossed. Fukushimagata 2007.

A newly fledged Northern Goshawk changes branches in a city park. Niigata City, June 2009.

A Yellow Bittern standing on a lotus leaf in the summer of 2005. Fukushimagata, Niigata.

Greater White-fronted Geese fly overhead at Fukushimagata in January 2008.

Bean Geese fly overhead at Fukushimagata. January 2008

A Daurian Redstart at Toyano in the late winter of 2008.

A Grey Wagtail along the Shinano River in 2007.

A Japanese Wagtail at Fukushimagata in 2008.

Post edit: I now think this is a female Red-cheeked Starling aslo known as a Chestnut-cheekd Starling. But I had this rant about it before if you could be bothered reading: In May 2008, I was walking along in Toyosaka, Niigata when I was astounded to see a beautiful, kestrel-like male Amur Falcon flying towards me. With my camera safley in my backpack, I watched as it flew over the road and shrank into the distance. A moment later, I stood motionless as the female of the same species followed the same path as its mate. About 5 minutes later and I reached a group of trees from which the falcons had appeared and discovered this, what I think is a Daurian Starling. Mostly found in the same area of China where the Amur falcons are found.

In May 2009, I found this Chestnut-cheeked Starling sitting on top of a tree in the exact place I'd seen the Amur Falcons one year earlier.

A Carrion Crow flying high over pavement to drop a nut. They do this again and again until they are rewarded with the nut cracking open to reveal its contents.

A Japanese Green Pheasant flies along the edge of the lake at Toyano, Niigata 2008.

A Brown-eared Bulbul wears pollen on its face while feeding in a plum tree at Toyano, 2008.

A male Northern Pintail scoots across the water at Hyoko, Niigata. 2007.

A Long-tailed Tit with a mozzie at Toyano, Niigata, 2008.

A young Steller's Sea-eagle had a swoop towards some seals on the ice. The eagle continued onwards but the seals were noticeably startled. Shiretoko 2006.

A Peregrine Falcon grabbed a cormorant at Fukushimagata, Niigata.

The pair spiralled downwards and the falcon let go when they hit the water. 2006.